Vietnam 1945 20 xu
This specimen was lot 46923 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $536.80. The catalog description[1] noted, "VIETNAM. 20 Xu, 1945. Hanoi Mint. NGC AU-58. SCARCE." The French gradually conquered Indochina (Annam, Tonkin, Laos and Cambodia) in the late nineteenth century. The most profitable revenue came from growing opium and selling it to the Chinese to the north. The region was occupied by the Japanese in 1940. Upon the Japanese surrender in 1945, the French attempted to reassert their authority but, despite massive American aid, were defeated in 1954 by the Viet Minh led by communist Ho Chi Minh. This crude issue was produced by the communists in the chaotic period immediately after the Japanese surrender when Ho thought he would be permitted to set up his rule unmolested.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2 g, aluminum, 23 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-1; Lec-1A.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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